Cadence ALLEGRO DESIGN WORKBENCH Datasheet - page 3
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ALLEgro DESIgn WorkBEnCH
are used to build a preliminary bill of
materials (BoM) from which they can be
added directly into the schematic.
library version control
Allegro Design Workbench notifies users
when changes to the design’s library parts
occur and allows users to decide when to
accept a new part. The rollback capability
allows users to revert to a previous part
version if necessary. This feature works
with both schematic and layout designs.
WIP data management
Allegro Design Workbench lets
users manage the design while in
development—known as work-in-
progress (WIP) data management—as
well as manage the completed design
when released to production. WIP data
management gives all team members
access to the most current design data
through a secure data vault. It further
enables designers to control changes,
keep a history of design revisions, explore
what-if changes, and, if necessary, roll
back to previous versions. A key aspect
of effective board-level design data
management is the ability to manage the
individual design files (BoM, schematic,
and layout) separately and concurrently.
This enables concurrent design and design
reviews to proceed without fear of using
out-of-date or mismatched file versions.
Check in and check out a design
All members of the design team may
securely check out, review, and mark up
designs and then check in their mark-ups
for review by the team. All exchanges
between engineers during design reviews
are captured and stored as part of the
design history. Users control access to this
data, so only those authorized to see the
data can access it.
Where-used functionality
As part status changes, or for order
planning and inventory control, where
used functionality allows users to see
where components are used in production
designs as well as WIP designs. It includes
information about which designs use the
specified component and the reference
designators for the component in each
design. This allows users to quickly assess
the impact of component changes as well
as plan for production needs.
BoM management
As parts are selected, they are
automatically added to an initial BoM.
This communicates design intent early in
the design process, allowing component
engineers and procurement to estimate
cost, status, availability, and other parts-
related information. Users can promote
the BoM to a WIP data vault for review
and automatically route it to reviewers.
The reviewers can mark it up and add
comments, which are then routed back to
the owner (and others if desired) for review
and approval. All transactions between
engineers during the review are captured
as part of the design history. After the
logical design is completed and the
BOM has quantities, it can be promoted
again for review and mark up where cost
estimates can now be applied. Finally,
when the layout is complete, the final
BoM is stored together with the design for
use in procurement and manufacturing.
Browse, review, and annotate
design
Team members and partners do not
need to have Allegro Design Entry HDL,
Allegro PCB SI, or Allegro PCB Editor tools
to review and annotate their designs.
Schematic PDFs and native board files
(.brd) can be viewed and annotated,
capturing comments and mark-ups and
returning them to the design owner. The
design developer is notified when mark-
ups are ready for review and can access
them through the project workspace in the
design vault.
library development flow
The ability to set up standard part
creation methodologies through a
graphical user interface streamlines the
library development process. Users can
define standard flows for multiple types of
parts, each with a different flow and access
to different tools (e.g., schematic symbols
vs. layout footprints). Selecting a step in
the flow displays the tools appropriate for
that step. This acts as a checklist, creating
a shorter learning curve, improving
productivity, and ensuring consistency in
part creation. Library verification steps,
with their appropriate tools, are built in to
the flow to facilitate rapid verification of
components.
Multi-site library distribution
Allegro Design Workbench maintains a
central master library of preferred parts
and associated known-good library data
that is automatically distributed to various
design sites as new parts and updates
appear in the library. This keeps all design
sites up to date with the latest library
Figure 3: Parametric search brings all component data to the desktop